This week, in our ongoing series aiming to highlight different Undergraduate Student Government Committees, we take a deeper look into the work and initiatives of the Social Committee. The Social Committee, or SocComm, is primarily responsible for organizing various musical and artistic events on campus to engage and excite Princeton students throughout the academic year.

SocComm ‘s most well known event of the year is definitely Lawnparties- a beloved Princeton tradition that occurs once every semester. Over the past year, SocComm decided to dedicate a significant portion of their resources towards improving Lawnparties with the hopes of making the music festival more enjoyable for the student population. They were able to book significantly bigger names than before, with Cheat Codes serving as the Fall 2018 headliner. Additionally, the Lawnparties concert featured student openers, a new initiative started in the spring to give student performers an unique showcasing opportunity.

SocComm also invested a lot more in production this year, installing a huge LED screen behind the performers and a smaller one in front of the DJ booth. This feat was deemed impossible in previous years but SocComm managed to negotiate with the suppliers and bring the quoted price of the screens down about 70% to fit within budget. They also managed to get CO2 and confetti cannons to help build a significantly more exciting music festival atmosphere.

Apart from Lawnparties, SocComm is also working on a variety of other events for the rest of the academic year. There is a Dean’s date event being planned for January 15th where SocComm will be giving out winter gear and food. Additionally, another exciting event to look out for is an inaugural Fashion Show to be held next semester, tentatively in March. There is currently a USG subcommittee dedicated to the organization of this event and the fashion show will aim to highlight the work of various student designers on campus. The event will be held in the Princeton Art museum and student collections will highlight and reflect various art collections currently displayed in the museum. SocComm hopes to invite industry professionals from New York City and Philadelphia to the event in order to give aspiring student designers an opportunity to network and seek career advice.

Lastly, one of SocComm’s most important objectives is to garner more student input about preference for events. Towards the end of the semester, SocComm will be conducting a survey project to gauge student interest in events involving music, arts, literature, and comedy. SocComm knows that Princeton is made up of a diverse student population and they want to incorporate input from more members of the student body. They will be tabling in Frist and other locations so keep an eye out for your SocComm representatives during reading period!